Message In A Bottle

Sep 16

So it was to Alex's great relief when she found a face she recognized. She hurried over, trying not to sound too enthusiastic lest she came off as intimidating.

"Dani!"

Danielle jumped. "Alex! Hi!" She looked as lost as Alex was, lunch tray in her hands.

"Bree, Conner, and Fred aren't here today." Like Alex, Danielle was connected to the lunch table via her absent friend.

"Yeah..." Danielle peered up at Alex, brown eyes wide. (Alex realized Danielle was shorter than her.) "Umm, wanna sit together?"

Alex laughed, partly nervous but wholly relieved. "Sure!"

The two girls maneuvered around the lunch tables to find a quiet spot for themselves. Danielle seemed quite shy at the lunch table, even shyer than Alex, but to Alex's surprise, conversation flowed easily between them. Sure, they'd been aware of each other's presence for years since they were in the same middle school, but they had never really talked. They complained about the self centered boys in their year and admitted they were scared by the popular girls.

"Like, I can't imagine wearing a full face of perfect makeup to school, and they do it so confidently as well. It's like they don't fear anything and it's so admirable yet terrifying." Alex sighed wistfully. "I don't do well with attention."

"I really appreciate people who put so much effort in dressing up for school, because I could never." Danielle's eyes followed a girl as she walked past. "Like, look at that eyeliner! It's so sharp that it can cut me in half. If I tried to do that at 7am, my sleep deprived self would definitely mess it up."

"Yeah, exactly!"

At that point, a strand of hair fell over Alex's eyes, and she huffed. "Ugh, I just can't seem to get my bangs in place. I've tried water but it doesn't stick..."

Danielle then reached over, took out a hairclip, and carefully pinned it in place. Alex could feel her fingers brush over her hair.

"You can use this! I've got plenty, so feel free to ask if you need one."

"O-oh!" Alex was surprised by Danielle, but pleasantly so. "Thanks!"

"It's also blue which matches with your eyes," Danielle told her kindly.

"Speaking of which, the shades of our hair are pretty close!" Alex curled a strand of her hair with her finger and moved over to match it with Danielle's shorter hair. Their heads accidentally bumped into each other. Danielle let out a small squeak. "But yours is more vivid than mines."

"I think yours is strawberry blonde? It's definitely a lighter shade and catches the sun better."

It was easy to chat with Danielle, and Alex wondered why they didn't do so before. Was it because they were both shy? To Alex, Danielle felt like a shadow who was always hovering around Bree- and perhaps Bree had unknowingly overshadowed her. It was nice to be able to talk with Danielle one to one.

"Your fashion sense is pretty cute too!" Alex gestured at Danielle's frilly skirt and pastel top. "Like, it suits you."

Danielle nervously combed through her hair with her fingers. "Aww, you're too kind! Y'know, last year, I was made fun of it. Because they said I looked like a little girl in elementary who never moved on from fairies and frilly things."

Alex frowned. "But I mean, you look good in these clothes. Or like, you're confident in them. Don't pay them any attention."

"Yeah, that's what Bree said as well. I won't let them affect me anymore." Danielle's cheeks colored with residual rage. Coupled with her hair, she looked like an angry (but cute) strawberry. "Urgh, highschool is already bad enough, but unnecessary insults make it worse."